Satisfaction measurement for smart buildings

ABSTRACT

A method and system for measuring satisfaction for a smart building is disclosed. A method includes detecting a presence of a user at the smart building; monitoring actions of the user in the smart building with respect to each of a plurality of aspects; receiving feedback via a human machine interface from the user regarding one or more of the plurality of aspects; and building the profile for the user based on the actions and feedback; wherein: monitoring actions comprises using one or more sensors to detect movement of the user through the smart building; receiving feedback includes determining a satisfaction level of the user with respect to thermal comfort; and adjusting the one or more of the plurality of aspects based on the profile.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 371 U.S. National Stage application ofPCT/US2019/025953, filed Apr. 5, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/654,659, filed Apr. 9, 2018, both ofwhich are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

Reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/040,363, filedon Sep. 22, 2020, pending.

BACKGROUND

Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electronics. In particular,the present disclosure relates to a method and system for measuringsatisfaction in smart buildings.

Today's technology has enabled the integration of new technologies intobuildings that provide a variety of benefits. For example, powerconsumption can be reduced through the use of smart technology, asdiscussed in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No.62/644,836, titled “Predicting the Impact of Flexible Energy Demand onThermal Comfort.” Smart building technology can provide for theoptimization of energy usage as well as improving usability for tenants,owners, employees, and other users of a building. One method ofproviding energy savings and usability improvements is through the useof user profiles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment, a method and system for measuringsatisfaction for a smart building is disclosed. A method includesdetecting a presence of a user at the smart building; monitoring actionsof the user in the smart building with respect to each of a plurality ofaspects; receiving feedback via a human machine interface from the userregarding one or more of the plurality of aspects; and building theprofile for the user based on the actions and feedback; wherein:monitoring actions comprises using one or more sensors to detectmovement of the user through the smart building; receiving feedbackincludes determining a satisfaction level of the user with respect tocomfort; and adjusting the one or more of the plurality of aspects basedon the profile.

In addition to one or more features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments may include wherein the human machineinterface is an app executed on a mobile electronic device.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include wherein the plurality of aspects includesthermal comfort, lighting comfort, services interaction, and healthstatus.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include wherein lighting comfort includes quantity oflight and color temperature of light.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include wherein the plurality of aspects includesservices interactions.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include observing deviation between the user's comfortand response of the smart building.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include assigning weights to each of the plurality ofaspects.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include determining which aspect of the plurality ofaspects is causing a discomforting condition based on the weights.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include adjusting parameters of the smart building basedon the aspect causing the discomforting condition.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include wherein detecting the presence of the usercomprises sensing a mobile electronic device carried by the user.

In addition to features described above, or as an alternative, furtherembodiments may include wherein detecting the presence of the usercomprises sensing usage of an access control device by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way.With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numberedalike:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or moreembodiments;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or moreembodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a computer system capable of performing oneor more embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer program product; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or moreembodiments;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating the operation of one or moreembodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or moreembodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of one or moreembodiments; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a group formation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosedapparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification andnot limitation with reference to the Figures.

The term “about” is intended to include the degree of error associatedwith measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipmentavailable at the time of filing the application.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification,specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations,element components, and/or groups thereof.

Thermal comfort in an indoor location is achieved through the use ofheating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units placedthroughout the indoor location. HVAC can be very expensive, representingup to 65 percent of energy consumption of a building.

In the past, there have been many different ways of controlling thethermal comfort and thus the energy consumed to achieve a thermalcomfort level. A very approximate way of doing so is to manually controlair conditioning and heating units—turning them on and off as needed,depending on if a building's occupants are comfortable. Later,thermometers were added—if too high a temperature was sensed, an airconditioning system could be switched on to cool the room. If too low atemperature was sensed, a heating system could be switched on to heatthe room. As technology became more sophisticated, additional methodswere added.

Advancements in technology have enabled machine-learning methods andsystems to be used to monitor and learn thermal comfort levels ofoccupants. Using voting techniques, one or more embodiments candetermine a comfort level of each occupant of a group of occupants.Thereafter, a thermal profile can be updated based on the receivedfeedback.

In addition to the thermal profile, there can be additional parametersstored in a full profile. In one or more embodiments, machine-learningmethods and systems can be used to monitor and learn a variety ofcategories of information (also known as “aspects”). A full profileincludes a variety of information mined from historical data that can beused to increase building efficiency and/or add to a user's convenienceor experience. In one or more embodiments, five or more aspects can bemined to obtain insights about a user in a variety of differentcategories. The aspects are stored as a tuple in a knowledge base.

In general, a tuple can be formed by the type of input data, the datapreprocessing chain, and which computational model is used forprocessing the input data. The tuple can be accessed by a smart buildingto customize each user's experience in the smart building, based on themined data. The data is pre-processed and a machine-learning algorithmis used on the data to perform predictions on the data or to performclustering on the data (to determine similarities between users). Aglobal score can be defined for each aspect and for each user.Thereafter, the global scores can be compared and clustered amongmultiple users based on similarities.

The aspects will now be described. Thermal comfort is described ingreater detail in U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 62/644,813, titled“Machine-Learning Method for Conditioning Individual or Shared Areas,”the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

To explain thermal profile briefly, in a smart building, heating,ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can be controlled usinga concept called thermal comfort. Thermal comfort uses a variety ofmeasurements of a room to estimate the thermal comfort level of theroom. The measurements can include temperature, humidity, air velocity,and the like. A field can be generated that estimates a thermal comfortlevel of the room being conditioned. Using one of a variety of differentmethods, a user can indicate whether or not the user is comfortable inthe present thermal condition. If the user is too cold or too hot, theuser's deviation from the estimation can be stored in a thermal profile.The thermal profile would indicate, for example, that a particular usergenerally likes his rooms to be warmer than most people or cooler thanmost people. This thermal profile could allow a smart building to senseor predict that a user has entered a particular room and adjust theroom's thermal comfort level when the user enters the room. This caneven be done in advance if, for example, the user's calendar orreservation indicates that the user will be in a particular location ata particular time.

The use of such a thermal profile also has advantages in buildingefficiency. If a user does not like cold rooms, unnecessary use of airconditioning systems can be avoided. If a room is unused, the room doesnot need to be heated or conditioned, with the knowledge that the roomwill be at a comfortable thermal level by the time the room is occupied.

Another aspect that can be monitored and stored in a user profile isvisual (or lighting) comfort. Visual comfort can include a variety ofdifferent aspects of a room related to a user's vision. This can includelighting, shades, blinds, and the like.

With respect to lighting comfort, each user might have different levelsof comfort depending on the quantity and quality of lighting. Quantityof lighting can include amount of lighting, measured, for example, inlumens through the use of a light meter. Some users may, in general,prefer a brighter environment than other users. Some users may have poornight vision and thus prefer to have brighter lighting than other users.Other users may be sensitive to bright lighting and prefer a less brightarea. Quantity of lighting also can include lighting from windows.Shades, blinds, and other window coverings can be controlled by thesmart building (for example, through the use of motorized windowcoverings) to provide the desired quantity of lighting. Sensors canmeasure the amount of natural light in a room and adjust the light levelin the room based on the natural light. Quality of lighting can includevarious aspects of the type of lighting. Aspects such color temperatureof lighting also can be monitored and adjusted. For example, it could befound that a certain user prefers a natural color temperature (e.g.,around 5000K) during the daylight hours, but a “warmer” colortemperature during the night (e.g., around 2700K). Thereafter, when theuser is in a room, the color temperature of the light can be adjusted tomeet his preferences.

Services interaction refers to the manner in which a user interacts withthe various services provided by the building. For example, one user mayutilize the elevators four times per day and another may use theelevator eight times per day. One user may prefer one particularcafeteria while a different user may use a different cafeteria moreoften.

The services interaction data can be used in conjunction with the dataregarding patterns of movement. Patterns of movement refers to the areasof the building which the user utilizes. These movements can be trackedin one or more of a variety of different manners. For example, somebuildings have access cards or key cards that utilize a variety oftechnologies, such as RFID or magnetic stripes, that enable the holderof the card to access certain areas of a building. In addition, somebuildings are now adding access technology to mobile electronic devices,such as smart phones, tablets, MP3 players, eReaders, smart watch,health tracker, and any other type of device that has computationalcapabilities. Those mobile electronic devices can then be used to gainaccess to various rooms. Other access granting devices can use biometricinformation, such as fingerprint readers, facial recognition, retinalscans, and other biometric devices that rely on a characteristic of aperson to grant access to a room or area of a building. Informationregarding access to rooms or areas can be stored as patterns ofmovement.

In addition, a variety of sensors placed throughout a smart building canallow the tracking of users as the user moves through a building.Sensors can be of any type. For example, facial recognition algorithmscan be used in conjunction with cameras to determine when a user enterscertain areas of a smart building. A user's mobile electronic device canbe used to in conjunction with wireless transmitters (such as Bluetooth,WiFi, near-field communication (NFC), ANT, and other wireless protocols.A signal can be sent by the wireless transmitter. When a mobileelectronic device receives the signal, the mobile electronic device cantransmit a response signal. The response signal can be associated with aparticular mobile electronic device. Each mobile electronic device canthen be associated with a user. In such a manner, the user's movementscan be tracked to determine what areas of the building the userfrequents.

Another aspect is health status. Health status can include any type ofhealth information commonly tracked using a mobile electronic device.For example, heart rate and body temperature can be tracked to determineif a user is ill. If the user is ill, adjustments can be made to theroom in which the user is located, to improve the user's comfort.

The aspects can be combined with context information. Contextinformation can be broadly categorized as either person independentcontext information and/or person dependent context information.

Person independent context information includes information that is thesame for every user within a building. Examples of person independentcontext information includes information about the building (e.g.,layout of the building, materials of the building, dimensions,orientation of the building, and the like) and weather information(e.g., temperature, cloudiness, sunrise/sunset times, and the like).

Person dependent context is information specific to a particular user.For example, the scope of the user's visit can be part of the contextinformation. While the above-described usage contemplates a single user,with thermal and lighting comfort prioritized for the single user, thereare often times when there are multiple users in a room. In such a case,thermal and lighting comfort is set such that the greater number ofusers are within a certain level of comfort. When determining a comfortlevel for a group of users, priority can be given to certain users, suchthat their preferences receive a greater weight. For example, a hotelmay choose to prioritize the comfort of the guests over the comfort ofthe employees. Therefore, a user's status as being a guest or anemployee can be taken into consideration as part of the person dependentcontext information. For a particular user, the status as a guest oremployee can change based on context. For example, a user could be anemployee at one hotel, but a guest at the same hotel chain, at adifferent location (for example, on a vacation.) This status also cantravel to different businesses. For example, a user's profile at anoffice building could be shared with a hotel. Therefore, when the usertravels to a hotel on vacation (or business), the user's preferencesregarding thermal comfort and lighting can be retrieved and used to makethe user's stay at the hotel more enjoyable.

The various aspects described above can be combined and used together,along with the context information, to provide a better experience forthe user and to improve a building's efficiency. For example, based onthe tracked patterns of movements, the building could predict that aparticular user will wake up a 6 am. The thermal condition and lightingconditions of the room can be optimized for that user. Thereafter, thearea where the user eats breakfast can be prepared for the user inadvance, based on the predicted location of the users. The same can bedone in an office environment, with a conference room prepared for theuser prior to the user even enters the conference room. In such amanner, the user's comfort conditions and the user's preferences and bediscovered and anticipated. In addition, the same profile can be sharedamong multiple buildings and used as a digital signature of the userbetween buildings. For example, a hotel chain can have a user's profile.When the user enters another hotel in the chain, even if the user hasnever been in that particular hotel before, the user's preferencesregarding thermal comfort, lighting comfort, and the like can be set forhim, providing a consistent user experience for him. The sharing amongbuildings will be discussed in greater detail below.

In some embodiments, for privacy reasons, any of the above listedfeatures can be switched off. While some users may appreciate thefeatures that customize the user's experience in the smart building,other users may value their privacy. In some embodiments, the user canturn off one or more of the tracking features at any time. Forembodiments in which the profile is shared among multiple smartbuildings, the user can have the option of turning on the tracking insome buildings (e.g., the user's own home), but turn off tracking inpublic buildings (e.g., a hotel).

With respect to FIG. 1 , a method 100 is presented that illustrates theoperation of one or more embodiments. Method 100 is merely exemplary andis not limited to the embodiments presented herein. Method 100 can beemployed in many different embodiments or examples not specificallydepicted or described herein. In some embodiments, the procedures,processes, and/or activities of method 100 can be performed in the orderpresented. In other embodiments, one or more of the procedures,processes, and/or activities of method 100 can be combined, skipped, orperformed in a different order. In some embodiments, method 100 can beexecuted by a system 300.

Method 100 illustrates the process for creating a profile for a smartbuilding. A user is sensed (block 102). The sensing can take place usingone of a variety of different methods. For example, a variety ofdifferent sensors can detect the presence of the user at a location. Thesensors can include cameras, audio sensors, card readers, wirelesstransducers that detect the presence of a mobile electronic device, andthe like.

Thereafter, the user's actions are monitored (block 104). As describedabove, the monitoring can include the user's movements and the user'suse of the building's facilities (e.g., rooms, elevators, restaurants,vending machines, and the like). In some embodiments, the monitoring caninclude integration with a user's electronic calendar. For example, auser can maintain their calendar using an electronic calendar system.One or more embodiments can link to the user's calendar (with the user'spermission) to determine where the user will be, such as an appointmentor meeting in a particular conference room or office within a buildingcomplex.

In addition to monitoring, there can be a set of access control rulesassociated with the profile. Access control rules can be configured togrant or forbid a user access to a certain set of resources. Resourcescan include actuators, controls, sensors, or commands. Resources canalso include floors of a building or rooms within a building. Thus, theprofile can indicate that some people (such as people who workmaintenance) have access to areas otherwise restricted to the generalpublic. Similarly, access control rules can indicate that a user with anapartment on the twelfth floor of a building only has access to thetwelfth floor of the building (and any common areas of the building).

For an employee, access control rules can indicate that the user has theability to change certain parameters that a typical tenant has no accessto. For example, a person in security can have access to elevatorcontrols that a general user of a building does not have.

Access control rules also can include user-dependent context information(such as the role or scope of the visit of a user), as well asuser-independent context information, such as information related to thephysical layout of the building.

In some embodiments, access control rules can be applied in a givenenvironment even if there are no statements related to the environmentlocated within the user' profile. In such a case, alternative applicablerules can be identified through the use of available contextualinformation. For example, a user might be set to always be able tocontrol the lighting and HVAC parameters of a guest room, if the user'scontext is a guest.

The monitoring also can include user feedback (block 106). User feedbackcan be in the form of a human machine interface (HMI) used by the userto interact with the smart building. An exemplary human machineinterface can include a mobile electronic device or a terminal locatedon a wall. An exemplary use of an HMI is that a user can utilize hismobile electronic device to indicate that he is too warm. The smartbuilding will note the adjustment relative to the current thermalcomfort level of the area in which the user is located. Similarly, theuser can make similar notifications with respect to lightingpreferences.

A profile is built using the gathered data and user feedback (block108). The profile can include information regarding each of the aspectsdescribed above, as well as any other aspects that can be useful for asmart building.

The profile can be shared with other buildings (block 110). This caninclude other buildings within the same location (e.g., other buildingson an office or college campus), related buildings (e.g., buildingsoperated by the same entity), or subscribers to a profile service.

Thereafter, whenever the user enters a location that has his profile,the profile can be retrieved (block 112) and adjustments can be made tothe user's environment based on the information in the profile.

In a group setting (i.e., the user is located in a room or area withmultiple users), the profile for each user can be retrieved and analyzedas above. The adjustments can be based on a score assigned to each user,taking into account similarities between users, using machine-learningtechniques (block 114).

With respect to FIG. 2 , a method 200 is presented that illustrates theoperation of one or more embodiments. Method 200 is merely exemplary andis not limited to the embodiments presented herein. Method 200 can beemployed in many different embodiments or examples not specificallydepicted or described herein. In some embodiments, the procedures,processes, and/or activities of method 200 can be performed in the orderpresented. In other embodiments, one or more of the procedures,processes, and/or activities of method 200 can be combined, skipped, orperformed in a different order. In some embodiments, method 200 can beexecuted by a system 300.

In addition to the above, user's habits can be mined from historicaldata and then leveraged to improve capabilities of physical accesscontrol systems. The historical usage data of the user is mined from thehistorical data that is generated during user/building interaction (asdetailed below with respect to FIG. 6 ). The usage data can be mined todetermine context information for use with access control systems. Thefocus of the profiling in this case is to identify patterns in theuser's habits. These patterns can include visited rooms, elevators used,facilities used, and services used.

The method can include an integration platform. The integration platformcan be used to acquire the history of building-occupants interactionsfrom heterogeneous building systems. Exemplary heterogeneous buildingsystems include, but are not limited to, access control systems,cameras, occupancy sensors, indoor positioning beacons, agendainformation, and structural plans and models of the building. Thelearned patterns are used to analyze access events (e.g., the use of acard reader or other access-granting device).

Method 200 details an algorithm that can be used to determine potentialsecurity threats or other anomalous behavior when analyzing the accessevents. Method 200 assumes that a profile already exits. A combinationof sensors, access granting devices, and the like are used to constantlymonitor the location of the users (block 202). As described above, thiscan include monitoring the mobile electronic device of a user as well asthe user's key card or other access granting device. The user'sactivities can be compared to previously stored activities in aknowledge base (block 204). The user's activities can include the user'shabits, including visited rooms, used elevators, and facilities andservices exploited and other tracked aspects describe above. If ananomaly is detected, a potential security threat is indicated (block206). Thereafter, further investigation can be performed on the user'smovements and actions (block 208).

If a user's credentials are used on an area that the user typically doesnot travel to or to which the user does not have access, that can be anindication that a bad actor has the credentials. For example, in anoffice building situation, if a user only goes to the fifth floor andthe eighth floor, those tendencies can be stored in the user's profilewithin a knowledge base. If the user is accessing the tenth floor, thatcan be flagged as unusual. This might not be an immediate alarm, for theuser may have a very good reason to be on the tenth floor when hetypically never goes to the tenth floor. For example, a once yearlymeeting can be taking place on the tenth floor. Or the user might bedelivering a package he wrongly received.

Similarly, some profiles include access-granting privileges. The usermay be allowed to visit certain rooms that are restricted by a key cardor mobile electronic device reader. However, the user may not be allowedto visit other rooms that are restricted by a key card or mobileelectronic device reader. If the user attempts to visit a room or areato which he is not allowed to visit, an anomaly could be triggered.

However, the user's credentials being used in an atypical manner couldbe an indication that the user has lost his key card or mobileelectronic device. The investigation can take place in one of a varietyof different manners. For example, the user's calendar (if the user hadpreviously granted access) can be compared to the user's movements. Ifthe annual meeting on the tenth floor is found in the calendar, than theanomaly is explained and no further investigation needs to take place.

In some instances, if the anomaly cannot be explained, a further watchcan be placed on the user's credentials (block 210). In such a manner,each action of the user can be monitored more closely to ensure that theuser is not a bad actor.

With respect to FIG. 5 , a method 500 is presented that illustrates theoperation of one or more embodiments. Method 500 is merely exemplary andis not limited to the embodiments presented herein. Method 500 can beemployed in many different embodiments or examples not specificallydepicted or described herein. In some embodiments, the procedures,processes, and/or activities of method 500 can be performed in the orderpresented. In other embodiments, one or more of the procedures,processes, and/or activities of method 500 can be combined, skipped, orperformed in a different order. In some embodiments, method 500 can beexecuted by a system 300.

Method 500 is a method for automatically measuring a user's satisfactionwith respect to a smart building. A user can express comfort ordiscomfort for each aspect being measured. The comfort level of theusers can be measured to find and rank discomforting conditions. Thiscan be of use by building management to make repairs or improvements totheir building. Method 500 determines the user's satisfaction during avisit and can be configured to determine satisfaction for every visit.Method 500 is used after a user profile has already been established.The user's actions are observed for a certain time period (block 502).The length of the time period can be set to any convenient length oftime. In some embodiments, the length of time is approximately one week.Based on the user's profile, a set of the user's expectations aregenerated using machine-learning techniques (block 504). The currentenvironmental status of the building is obtained (block 506). Theenvironmental status includes lighting comfort as well as thermalcomfort. Environmental status can also include data about the building,such as the presence of malfunctions and a current population of thebuilding (how many people are currently occupying the building).

Satisfaction of the user is measured (block 508). This can be done usinga human machine interface (HMI). An exemplary HMI is a mobile electronicdevice. A software application (also known as an “app”) can be executedon a mobile electronic device (such as a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch). On the app, the user can note his satisfaction level. In someembodiments, the user can note details of why he is feeling his currentsatisfaction level.

The satisfaction level, as well as deviations from the user'sexpectations and the current environmental status are noted and storedin a knowledge base (block 510). Once such data is acquired for multipleusers, the data is analyzed and the generation of expectations isoptimized (block 512). Analysis can include assigning weights to each ofthe aspects as well as other tracked information. For example, whilecrowdedness might not be an aspect, crowdedness could affect thermalcomfort. So a weight can be assigned to crowdedness, to predict howcrowdedness affects a user's satisfaction level. Each aspect can beranked using Feature Ranking methodology. In such a manner, using datafrom each user, one can determine the most informative aspects, such asthe aspect that need the most improvement. Exemplary algorithms that canbe used include F-Test and Mutual Information algorithms.

Machine learning techniques can be used to optimize a solution ofdetermining the weights to assign for each condition. In someembodiments, a support vector machine can be used as a classifier. Oncethe system has performed the classification, corrective actions can beused to solve the issues found. In some embodiments, a Learning ModuloTheory (LMT) approach can be used that is an optimization solver todetermine the weights.

Once weights are determined, method 500 can be re-iterated to furtherrefine the weights. The weights can be used to determine how the smartbuilding should best react to certain conditions. For example, certainlevels of crowdedness may impact users in unforeseen ways, meaning thatsmart building should respond in a different way to certainenvironmental conditions than when the building is less crowded.

Cluster analysis can be used to find users with similar feelings. Theseclusters can be used to find statistically significant discomfortingconditions. This can involve a statistical test, such as theKolmogorov-Smirnov test, to compare clusters and highlight statisticallyrelevant differences.

In such a manner, an automatic system for detecting and weightingdiscomforting conditions during the user's occupation of a building isdisclosed. A smart building can implement correcting actions forimproving user experience based on the measure of satisfaction.

FIG. 6 depicts a block diagram illustrating a system 600 for the purposeof mining and deploying a user profile for a smart building. First, theprofiling phase occurs. A user 602 interacts with a smart buildingthrough a variety of interfaces 610, 612, and 614. While only threeinterfaces are shown in FIG. 6 , it should be understood that a greateror lesser number of interfaces can be used. Interfaces 610, 612, and 614represent any manner in which user 602 can interact with the smartbuilding. These can include the user's own mobile electronic device, keycards or other access cards, elevator call buttons, access controldevices, light switches, other legacy control systems (e.g.,thermostats), and the like. Each of interfaces 610, 612, and 614 caninteract with building service integration platform 616. Buildingservice integration platform 616 serves as a link between each of theinterfaces 610, 612, and 614 and the actual services provided by thesmart building. The services can include access control 620 (such asdoor locks and other entrance control devices), elevators 622, HVAC 624,and lighting 626. It should be understood that lighting 626 can include,not only controls for light fixtures, but also include controls forwindow coverings (such as shades, blinds, and the like). Eachinteraction that user 602 has with the smart building, through buildingservice integration platform 616, is processed by aspect manager 630.Aspect manager 630 can receive additional information (such as contextinformation) from knowledge base 640. As more and more data is gatheredfor each user, the information processed by aspect manager 630 is storedin a distributed profile repository 632.

Aspect manager 630 can collect the event information and mine data byeach aspect. Thereafter, an ideal machine-learning algorithm can bedetermined to use for the processing of the data. This can occur usingan iterative process, in which a new machine-learning algorithm is usedfor each iteration to determine which algorithm results in the bestmodel. Thereafter, the selected aspect model is stored in the profilerepository 632.

A second phase that can occur is the “adaptive enactment” phase. Thisphase applies the profile to the various aspects. This phase uses system600 the will be discussed in conjunction with the flowchart 700 of FIG.7 .

An event occurrence is sensed (block 702). This occurrence can be aninput of the user 602 through the use of one of the interfaces 610, 612,or 614. Or it can be a sensor acting as one of the interfaces thatdetects user 602. The event is filtered to determine if there are anyrelated events (block 704). There can be instances where multipleinterfaces detect the same event or related events. For example,traveling to a certain floor to enter a certain room can be consideredrelated events. Information is then retrieved from profile repository632 (block 706) to determine which model to use based on the aspect andthe user and from knowledge base 640 (block 708) to gather contextualinformation.

Aspect manager 630 then selects and executes the selected model (block710) to recommend a course of action (block 712). The recommended courseof action is then executed by building services integration platform616. For example, the course of action may be to change the lighting,call an elevator, change HVAC settings, or the like.

Another feature of the above-described system is the ability to sharethe profile across multiple sites. The user profile described above canbe portable across different sites. This can include, not only buildingsowned or operated by the same entity (such as a college or office campusor a chain of hotels), but also buildings owned or operated by differententities. In other words, a hotel chain can share profile informationwith an office building or with a shopping mall or an apartment buildingthat is owned or operated by a different entity.

As discussed above, a user profile is created through the fusion andreconciliation of data from one or more building system interfaces (forexample, interfaces 610, 612, and 614). The profile for each user isstored in distributed profile repository 632. Each system and associatedbuilding is described in knowledge base 640 according to sharedconceptual structures. Each profile in profile repository 632 isregularly updated according to the user's interactions with the systemsthat are operating in each visited building, and linked to the shareddescriptions (such as the context information) stored in knowledge base640. In such a manner, each user's profile can be seamlessly applicableacross a multitude of environments.

Thereafter, when a user enters an unvisited environment, the user'sprofile can be retrieved. The profile can include credentials, theuser's activity history log, user-related attributes, a collection ofaction/resource request templates, and the like. The unvisitedenvironment can be compared to environment and context of environmentsthat the user had previously visited. Thereafter, the environment of theunvisited location can be adjusted to an estimated comfort level basedthe user's profile and the context of the places he had visitedpreviously. For example, if the user had previously visited a hotel as aguest, different hotels could use that information to determine a properenvironment for the user's stay as a guest at a previously unvisitedhotel. Information regarding the user's preferences as an employee canbe given less weight, because those locations do not share the samecontext. The user's profile can be treated as a “digital signature” thatcan enable advanced interfaces and offer a holistic, cohesive, andpersonalized experience across different buildings and systems therein.

In addition, access control policies can be issued by differentauthorities. Access control policies serve to express, in a declarativefashion, the granting or forbidding of access. Access control policiesalso can include user-dependent context information as well asuser-independent context information.

The profile can include user authorization information that detailsaccess control rules that are portable among multiple buildings. Theuser-dependent context information (e.g., whether the user is anemployee or a guest), can be used to determine the access the user hasregarding a system. In addition, the user-independent contextinformation (e.g., the size and shape of the building, the purpose ofthe various rooms, and the like) can be used to determine thermalcomfort and lighting comfort.

There can be alternative applicable access control rules identifiedthrough available context information. For example, a user might bealways allowed to access lighting and HVAC parameters of a guest room ata hotel where the user is a registered guest.

In some embodiments, it can be desirable to detect the intent of usersfor a variety of advanced building applications. Exemplary applicationscan include egress, occupancy-based building control, and destinationmanagement systems. It can be desirable to model a group's behavior tolearn the user's intents while preserving the privacy of the users anddetecting abnormal behavior.

A flowchart 800 illustrating such a use case is shown in FIG. 8 . Anenvironment is monitored using one or more sensors (block 802). Theenvironment being monitored can be a room inside a building or a commonarea adjacent to a building, or the like. The environment can includeseveral rooms. The sensors being used can be any one or combination ofsensors. Exemplary sensors can include cameras, presence detectionsensors, wireless transceivers, and the like.

People are detected within the environment being monitored (block 804).Groups of people can be sensed in one of a variety of different manners.A group can be broadly understood as a social unit that includes severalmembers who stand in status and relationships with one another. A typeof group being analyzed can include free-standing conversational groups(FCGs). An FCG is an ensemble of co-present person engaged in ad-hocencounters. These can be considered focused encounters. Exemplary FCGscan include a party, a decoration session, or an office meeting.

FCGs can be detected by computing the facing formation (also known as anF-formation) from the spatial position and orientation of the occupants.An F-formation is a proper organization of three social spaces(illustrated in FIG. 9 ). An O-space 910 is a convex empty spacesurrounded by the people (902) involved in a social interaction, whereevery participant is oriented inward toward the O-space 910. No externalpeople are present in O-space 910. P-space 920 is a ring surroundingO-space 910. The people within the FCG are located within P-space 920.R-space 930 is the space surrounding the P-space 920 and is alsomonitored by the FCG participants.

Referring back to FIG. 8 , the orientation and location of the users isused to determine the presence of one or more FCGs within a group ofusers. Each user's orientation and location is tracked to find O-spaces(block 806).

Groups can change over time. Two groups of four people can become agroup of five people and a group of three people, a single group eightpeople, or any of a variety of different sized groups. Additional peoplecan join or leave a group upon entering or leaving an area beingmonitored. Groups can spread into subgroups, can merge, can disappear,and the like. Both graph and topological methods can be used todetermine these behaviors. Exemplary methods of computing entropyinclude the use of Von Neumann Entropy equations to measure groupnessover time and the use of Persistent Entropy to detect group fusion incircular motifs.

Each of the interactions within and between groups can be represented asa time-dependent network (block 808). This can be accomplished usingundirected graphs. A graph is a mathematical structure used to modelpairwise relations between objects. A graph is an ordered pair G=(V, E)comprising a set V of vertices (or nodes or points) together with a setof E edges associated with two vertices. Using Von Neumann entropyequations, one can find entropy as it relates to a graph. Usingpersistent homology techniques, one can cluster shapes and discoverhigher dimensional correlations that otherwise cannot be pinpointed outwith classical statistical methods. Thus, a graph can be transformedinto a topological object (block 810). Using a persistent homologyalgorithm, the connectivity between the vertices can be determined, thustracking the group over time (block 812) by detecting temporary andpersistent groups in circular motifs. Once the model has been deployed,it can be used for real-time analysis (block 814). In such a mannerabnormal behavior (including, but not limited to those discussed withrespect to FIG. 2 ), can be detected for groups as well as individuals.In other words, the intentions of individual groups and intentionsbetween groups can be mined. The mined information can be used to findabnormal behavior within a group. In addition, the mined information canbe used to formulate emergency response plans, such as ideal escaperoutes and potential problems on existing routes (block 816).

FIG. 3 depicts a high-level block diagram of a computer system 300,which can be used to implement one or more embodiments. Morespecifically, computer system 300 can be used to implement hardwarecomponents of systems capable of performing methods described herein.Although one exemplary computer system 300 is shown, computer system 300includes a communication path 326, which connects computer system 300 toadditional systems (not depicted) and can include one or more wide areanetworks (WANs) and/or local area networks (LANs) such as the Internet,intranet(s), and/or wireless communication network(s). Computer system300 and additional system are in communication via communication path326, e.g., to communicate data between them.

Computer system 300 includes one or more processors, such as processor302. Processor 302 is connected to a communication infrastructure 304(e.g., a communications bus, cross-over bar, or network). Computersystem 300 can include a display interface 306 that forwards graphics,textual content, and other data from communication infrastructure 304(or from a frame buffer not shown) for display on a display unit 308.Computer system 300 also includes a main memory 310, preferably randomaccess memory (RAM), and can also include a secondary memory 312.Secondary memory 312 can include, for example, a hard disk drive 314and/or a removable storage drive 316, representing, for example, afloppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, or an optical disc drive. Harddisk drive 314 can be in the form of a solid state drive (SSD), atraditional magnetic disk drive, or a hybrid of the two. There also canbe more than one hard disk drive 314 contained within secondary memory312. Removable storage drive 316 reads from and/or writes to a removablestorage unit 318 in a manner well known to those having ordinary skillin the art. Removable storage unit 318 represents, for example, a floppydisk, a compact disc, a magnetic tape, or an optical disc, etc. which isread by and written to by removable storage drive 316. As will beappreciated, removable storage unit 318 includes a computer-readablemedium having stored therein computer software and/or data.

In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 312 can include othersimilar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to beloaded into the computer system. Such means can include, for example, aremovable storage unit 320 and an interface 322. Examples of such meanscan include a program package and package interface (such as that foundin video game devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM,secure digital card (SD card), compact flash card (CF card), universalserial bus (USB) memory, or PROM) and associated socket, and otherremovable storage units 320 and interfaces 322 which allow software anddata to be transferred from the removable storage unit 320 to computersystem 300.

Computer system 300 can also include a communications interface 324.Communications interface 324 allows software and data to be transferredbetween the computer system and external devices. Examples ofcommunications interface 324 can include a modem, a network interface(such as an Ethernet card), a communications port, or a PC card slot andcard, a universal serial bus port (USB), and the like. Software and datatransferred via communications interface 324 are in the form of signalsthat can be, for example, electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or othersignals capable of being received by communications interface 324. Thesesignals are provided to communications interface 324 via communicationpath (i.e., channel) 326. Communication path 326 carries signals and canbe implemented using wire or cable, fiber optics, a phone line, acellular phone link, an RF link, and/or other communications channels.

In the present description, the terms “computer program medium,”“computer usable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” are used torefer to media such as main memory 310 and secondary memory 312,removable storage drive 316, and a hard disk installed in hard diskdrive 314. Computer programs (also called computer control logic) arestored in main memory 310 and/or secondary memory 312. Computer programsalso can be received via communications interface 324. Such computerprograms, when run, enable the computer system to perform the featuresdiscussed herein. In particular, the computer programs, when run, enableprocessor 302 to perform the features of the computer system.Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of thecomputer system. Thus it can be seen from the forgoing detaileddescription that one or more embodiments provide technical benefits andadvantages.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , a computer program product 400 in accordancewith an embodiment that includes a computer-readable storage medium 402and program instructions 404 is generally shown.

Embodiments can be a system, a method, and/or a computer programproduct. The computer program product can include a computer-readablestorage medium (or media) having computer-readable program instructionsthereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of embodiments ofthe present invention.

The computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer-readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer-readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer-readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from acomputer-readable storage medium or to an external computer or externalstorage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local areanetwork, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network cancomprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers,wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers,and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer-readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable programinstructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer-readable program instructions for carrying out embodiments caninclude assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA)instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions,microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either sourcecode or object code written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object-oriented programming languagesuch as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The computer-readable program instructions canexecute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer,as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer andpartly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer orserver. In the latter scenario, the remote computer can be connected tothe user's computer through any type of network, including a local areanetwork (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can bemade to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using anInternet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitryincluding, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmablegate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) can execute thecomputer-readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiments may be implemented using one or more technologies. In someembodiments, an apparatus or system may include one or more processorsand memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the apparatus or system to perform one or moremethodological acts as described herein. Various mechanical componentsknown to those of skill in the art may be used in some embodiments.

Embodiments may be implemented as one or more apparatuses, systems,and/or methods. In some embodiments, instructions may be stored on oneor more computer program products or computer-readable media, such as atransitory and/or non-transitory computer-readable medium. Theinstructions, when executed, may cause an entity (e.g., a processor,apparatus or system) to perform one or more methodological acts asdescribed herein.

While the present disclosure has been described with reference to anexemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents maybe substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made toadapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof.Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited tothe particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated forcarrying out this present disclosure, but that the present disclosurewill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for measuringsatisfaction for a smart building comprising: detecting a presence of auser at the smart building; monitoring actions of the user in the smartbuilding with respect to each of a plurality of aspects using one ormore sensors to detect movement of the user through the smart building;receiving feedback via a human machine interface from the user regardingone or more of the plurality of aspects, including determining asatisfaction level of the user with respect to comfort; and building aprofile for the user based on the monitored actions and the receivedfeedback; adjusting the one or more of the plurality of aspects based onthe profile; assigning a weight to each of the plurality of aspects;ranking the plurality of aspects; determining which aspect of theplurality of aspects is causing a discomforting condition based on theweights; and adjusting parameters of the smart building based on theaspect causing the discomforting condition.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein: the human machine interface is an appexecuted on a mobile electronic device.
 3. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of aspects includes thermalcomfort, lighting comfort, services interaction, and health status. 4.The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein: lighting comfortincludes quantity of light and color temperature of light.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: the plurality ofaspects includes services interactions.
 6. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, further comprising: observing deviation in comfort ofthe user.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:detecting the presence of the user comprises sensing a mobile electronicdevice carried by the user.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein: detecting the presence of the user comprises sensing usageof an access control device by the user.
 9. A computer system formeasuring satisfaction for a smart building comprising: a processor; amemory; computer program instructions configured to cause the processorto perform the following method: detecting a presence of a user at thesmart building; monitoring actions of the user in the smart buildingwith respect to each of a plurality of aspects using one or more sensorsto detect movement of the user through the smart building; receivingfeedback via a human machine interface from the user regarding one ormore of the plurality of aspects, including determining a satisfactionlevel of the user with respect to comfort; and building a profile forthe user based on the monitored actions and the received feedback;adjusting the one or more of the plurality of aspects based on theprofile; assigning weights to each of the plurality of aspects; rankingthe plurality of aspects; determining which aspect of the plurality ofaspects is causing a discomforting condition based on the weights; andadjusting parameters of the smart building based on the aspect causingthe discomforting condition.
 10. The computer system of claim 9,wherein: the human machine interface is an app executed on a mobileelectronic device.
 11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein: theplurality of aspects includes thermal comfort, lighting comfort,services interaction, and health status.
 12. The computer system ofclaim 11, wherein: lighting comfort includes quantity of light and colortemperature of light.
 13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein: theplurality of aspects includes services interactions detailing patternsof movement of the user.
 14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein themethod further comprises: observing deviation in comfort of the user.